There was a panicky moment when I sat down to lunch with Dave the sales rep who cheerily announced that he had virtually no sense of smell or taste. Fortunately we bonded over tales of using a smoke alarm as an oven timer for cooking pizza. "You know you've drunk too much if you still eat it when it's burnt," Dave said. "So what wine's best with chips and ketchup? And rabbit?"

Seeing as he'd asked about wine with rabbit, I ordered a chinon. He hated it. So I went on to prescribe wines with masses of texture and body to punch through those dull tastebuds and give his tongue something to think about - Australian shiraz, Argentine malbec, big, sunny chardonnays, almost anything red from Chile, the more burly Spanish and French wines. I also felt a bit guilty - I veer towards more acidic, lighter old world reds, but there are a lot of Daves out there whose tastes I should cater for more. Here, then, are a handful of Dave wines. Let's start with something obvious: an Aussie shiraz that has brightness, is overt and all but growls: Mount Langi Ghiran Billi Billi Shiraz 2004 (£9.99, or £6.66 when you buy three, and only worth it on that deal, Wine Rack; 14% abv) has a bit of age, too, so you get more shades out of it than you might another shiraz at the price.

Altos del Condor Malbec 2008 (£6.99, Marks & Spencer; 13.5% abv), made by feted wine-maker Daniel Pi in Argentina and aged in a mixture of French and US oak, is another good option, savoury and balanced, one for a juicy homemade beefburger. The Chilean Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2007 (£9.99, Co-op; £10.99, or £8.79 when you buy two or more, Majestic; 14.5% abv) is not at an everyday price, but it is delicious: its makers have used native yeasts that aren't selected for properties such as resistance to alcohol or sulphur; also, the different strains mean several fractionally different fermentations concur, creating different concentrations and proportions of by-products that build layers and all-important texture. It's a bit like having a choir rather than a soloist. French oak and ageing on the lees bolster it further, and it's worth decanting a bit beforehand to allow the wonderful, chewy mealiness to come through.

Last, one with cross-cultural appeal: Chain of Ponds Pilot Block Sangiovese-Barbera-Grenache 2005 (£8.99, or £5.99 when you buy three, Wine Rack; 14% abv) is made in Australia with French and Italian grapes, and has a powdery, dappled mouthfeel; and though not light-bodied, it is refreshing. This is one I'd drink next time I see Dave. We'd both like it.